Bob Crum

Have I mentioned that photojournalism is fraught with hardships and hazards? I ran into more of the same the past weekend at the May Festival parade. The plan: Shoot still photos and video. I thought I had it figured out. I didn't! I should have have killed the plan the second it was conceived. Or at least had a glass of Merlot before the parade started.

I decided to try to shoot some video because a still photo of a marching band lacked oompah oompah! Isn't a photo of a marching band in a parade without oompah like pizza without flavor?

I hand-held the camera to shoot the still photo then quickly mount the camera on the tripod... switch the camera to video – focus - check the composition - press the record button and pan the camera to follow the parade participant. Then remove the camera from the tripod – compose - shoot a still photo of the next parade participant. Then quickly remount the camera on the tripod - switch the camera over to video – focus - check the composition - press the record button and pan to follow the parade participant. Then remove the camera... well, got the idea?

Another problem was that even the slow moving parade participants moved too fast!!! I needed roller skates and wheels on the tripod to keep up. Politely speaking, it was frustrating. Remember that my specialty is mermaid boudoir photography. Shooting video with my dSLR camera is a new process.

Even though my Canon 7D MKII shoots excellent quality video, the physical form factor is terrible. It's easier to pull teeth from a hippopotamus. There is no button to push for zooming the lens, no follow focus when zooming and other issues. Everything has to be done quickly. But my hands just don't do quickly so quickly these days.

Forget the video for a moment and let's get back to 'still' photos. Remember, composition rules. A photo exhibiting good composition reflects a story told by the photograph! Great composition is testament to a great story! To execute the plan, I used my Tamron 16-300mm lens. For the hand-held photos I could shoot from a afar and zoom in, compose and shoot. That supposedly would give me time to mount the camera on the tripod to shoot video of the oncoming parade participant so long as they don't move too fast. Accordingly, I could crop the image later when post processing the stills. Splendid concept... execution not so much. I need clemency!

Regardless of the obvious challenges learning to shoot video, I persevere because it seems appropriate that moving people warrant motion pictures... so to speak. In the meantime, you get to witness my metamorphosis, as it were, from shooting just still photos to still photos and video. It'll probably be a tad messy initially so I hope that you don't become too distraught before I get proficient. Your indulgence will be appreciated as I dilly dally with video. BTW, when was the last time you dilly dallied at anything? You should, it's fun! I do it a lot!

Happy photoing.

Send your comments, questions or suggestions to bob@fillmoregazette.com

(l-r) Tom Mayhew, FFA President, Scott Beylik, in his role as President of the FUSD Board of Education, and Keith Gurrola, FFA President.
Enlarge Photo

(l-r) Scott Beylik, Board President, and Connie Quintana, Student Representative.
Enlarge Photo

Board Recognition
The Board of Trustees recognized the Fillmore Future Farmers of America (FFA) Booster Club. The Fillmore FFA Booster Club supports the Fillmore High School Agriculture and FFA program with generous financial support and volunteers. The organization supports student participation in regional, state, and national leadership conferences offered by FFA. The Fillmore community supports Booster Club annual fundraising efforts such as the pancake breakfasts and fireworks sales. Thank you Fillmore FFA Booster Club for your support of Fillmore youth!

Fillmore USD Retirees
The Board of Trustees recognized eight employees for their distinguished service to the Fillmore Unified School District.
The individuals are:
Gamaliel Aguilar, 21 years Janet Bergamo, 24 years
Jane Brunton-Munoz, 20 years Sammy Cardona, 10 years
Joan Moseley, 12 years Susan Pina, 31 years
Linda Root, 32 years Enedina Vasquez-Garcia, 35 years

College and Career Access Pathways Partnership Agreement
The Board received a report on the College and Career Access Pathways Partnership Agreement. Information was presented by Assistant Superintendent, Martha Hernandez and Ventura College President and incoming Ventura County Community College District Chancellor, Dr. Greg Gillespie.

Fillmore USD ASES Update
The Board received an update on the ASES program. Information was presented by Assistant Superintendent, Stefan Cvijanovich, and Director of Special Projects and Student Services, Tom Chan.

Assessment Update
The Board received an Assessment Update. Information was presented by Assistant Superintendent, Martha Hernandez and Director of Curriculum, Assessment, and Instruction.

Personnel Recommendations
The Board approved all personnel recommendations including new hires, promotions, resignations and leaves.

Written by Fillmore Unified Teachers Association (FUTA)

Fillmore Teachers reacted with deep concern this past week as the Fillmore Unified School District submitted an initial bargaining proposal that is a massive list of rollbacks that would greatly harm students and educators. Among the many proposals:

• Elimination of class size balancing at Fillmore Middle School, Fillmore High School and Sierra High School.

• Elimination class size balancing at elementary schools.

• Elimination of preparatory time at the elementary level.

• Elimination of experience, credentialing, and seniority in transfer, reassignment and other assignment decisions.

• Elimination of the Fall Break, a calendar Fillmore went to for the educational benefits of our students and has been in place for over 25 years.

• Still no calendar for the upcoming school year, leaving parents and families unable to plan.

“It is beyond comprehension that the Board and Superintendent would willingly delay working with teachers until May and then make proposals at the expense of students, teachers, and this community,” said FUTA President Jennifer Beal. “None of the proposals will help student achievement and none seem to support the dedicated educators here in Fillmore. We sincerely hope these proposals fall away through the negotiations process. FUTA will continue to pursue an agreement that benefits students and recognizes the hard work teachers do on their behalf.”

Enlarge Photo

Enlarge Photo

Enlarge Photo

Enlarge Photo

Enlarge Photo

The Class of 1997 will hold their 20th Class Reunion at the 104th Annual Fillmore High Alumni Association Dinner/Dance on Saturday June 10th, 2017 from 3pm to midnight at the Veterans Memorial Building located at 511 2nd Street in Fillmore.

Please make your dinner reservations early to confirm seating with your class. Your paid dinner reservation guarantees entry to the event, an award-winning catered dinner, and access to the bar, social lounge, and dance.
Reserve your seats online now by going to www.fillmorehighalumni.com and click on the Events link.

You may also reserve your seats in-person by going to Patterson Hardware Store in Fillmore and paying there. All you have to do is pay the fee and fill in your name as you would like it to read on your name tag at the event.
20 Years! Where has the time gone? See you all there Class of ‘97!

What is the purpose of Memorial Day? Ask your children that question and you might be surprised with the answer they give you. Many don’t know and others tend to forget exactly why the holiday was created. Given that it's also the traditional beginning of the summer season, there seems to be some confusion by the general public over what the holiday honors.

The holiday, instituted in 1866 in the wake of the Civil War, was first known as Decoration Day. It was set aside to remember both Union and Confederate soldiers alike. It's hard to imagine, but during the Civil War more Americans died (620,000) than in both World Wars combined (521,000).

The South refused to acknowledge the day, honoring their dead on separate days until after World War I when the holiday changed from honoring just those who died fighting in the Civil War to honoring Americans who died fighting in any war.

During that first national celebration, former Union General James Garfield made a speech at Arlington National Cemetery, after which 5,000 participants helped to decorate the graves of the more than 20,000 Union and Confederate soldiers who were buried there.

“We do not know one promise these men made, one pledge they gave, one word they spoke; but we do know they summed up and perfected, by one supreme act, the highest virtues of men and citizens. For love of country they accepted death, and thus resolved all doubts, and made immortal their patriotism and their virtue.”

Memorial Day is not Independence Day or Veterans' Day; it is not for celebrating national pride or thanking all armed service members. Memorial Day is specifically meant to honor and remember those who lost their lives while serving in the U.S. military. They died in the field of combat and returned home under solemn circumstances, inside flag-draped caskets. Memorial Day is when we are supposed to show gratitude to the countless American soldiers who never came home. It's not about summer blow-out sales at your favorite department store or backyard barbeques. It's a holiday that is not meant to be festive, and that fact seems to escape most people.

Memorial Day is reserved for those who can't return a smile or a salute, not to mention the families and friends who have been left behind. On Memorial Day we need to stop and pay with sincere conviction our respects for those who died protecting and preserving the freedoms we enjoy, for we owe those honored dead more than we can ever repay.

People of other nations sometimes show more of the true spirit of Memorial Day more than we do here. For example, a 2001 U.S. Memorial Day Guestbook entry from a citizen of the Netherlands states:

"In 1999 I laid flowers at the grave of a young U.S. fighter pilot who was killed in action in my village in 1945. In the Netherlands I know of schools 'adopting' graves of Allied servicemen, keeping those graves in excellent condition. Does anybody know of adopting graves in the U.S. by schools?”

How many graves of our fallen do we in America leave dishonored by leaving their resting places forgotten and neglected? We need to remember with sincere respect those who paid the price for our freedoms; we need to keep in sacred remembrance those who died serving their country. We need to never let them be forgotten.

"Let no vandalism of avarice or neglect, no ravages of time testify to the present or to the coming generations that we have forgotten as a people the cost of a free and undivided republic." -- General Logan - May 5, 1868

All photos by Bob Crum
Enlarge Photo

Enlarge Photo

Enlarge Photo

Enlarge Photo

Enlarge Photo

Enlarge Photo

Enlarge Photo

Enlarge Photo

Enlarge Photo

Enlarge Photo

Enlarge Photo

Growing up in a country town, I frequently roamed the countryside. Often by bicycle but there were a lot of places a bike couldn't go. The woods! I knew the surrounding woods so well I could navigate the dreaded briar patch unscathed. Most of the time. I also knew where the scrumptious wild blueberry and raspberry bushes were. Oh, and where those mysterious elderberry and cherry trees were. Special treats that fruit. Hidden places only known by me and my dog King... who was sworn to secrecy. As the fruit ripened, I was compelled to sneak away and feast. You know, priorities.

However, I had responsibilities which sometimes entailed making decisions: Chores or goodies. Goodies always a priority. Upon returning home from a forest visit, mother... who I wished was not always so inquisitive... would ask what I'd been doing. Blessed with a robust imagination, I was expert, so I thought, at concocting fabulously convincing stories. But mother, the wise woman she was, would say, “But Bob, we don't have any blueberry bushes in the chicken pen.” You'd think I know better than to tell a fib while sporting blue lips! Ah, those were the days.

Photography is about priorities. When on assignment, the task: Create a photograph that tells a story, the essence of photojournalism. Instant decisions... from camera programming to composition... have to be made continually. A daunting task because no two shoots are the same. Always new challenges.

In comparison, recreational photography is therapeutic. But it too demands deciding priorities. I can program my camera to produce numerous effects of the exact same subject or scene. The first important decision is the composition... framing the photo. What is the most important factor of the subject or the scene I'm about to shoot that I want to convey in the photograph? Priorities!

After composition, next priority is how do I shoot the scene to present the desired effect: Shutter priority or aperture priority. This entails choosing a shutter speed with respect to the aperture and vice versa. Remember my previously mentioning how varying shutter speeds can present a different image of a waterfall? The same applies to varying the aperture. Open the aperture to the widest opening of the lens tends to blur the background. It's called applying bokeh... pronounced bow-kah. On the other hand, if I elect to present everything from the foreground to the background in focus, I simply close the aperture, i.e. make it smaller. Smallkeh. (new word I just made up ) Think of it as squinting to better see the details. It's all about priorities. Priorities are the difference between being a photographer who creates a photo or... ahem... a snapshooter. Just sayin'.

Sometimes priorities are troublesome... i.e.... getting too close to the action to get an exciting photo and getting wet. (Photo of the Week) Low flying pelicans required different camera settings. Additional photos are of Ventura Harbor. I go there often when testing new gear or to try a new technique. With so many photo ops, the harbor is always a fun photo shoot. The California gulls always make the shoot interesting.

Speaking of interesting, the May Festival is Thursday May 18 through Sunday May 21. Also, the 5K/10K race and walk on Saturday May 20. (Pancake breakfast Saturday morning.) Two great events with lots of interesting action to photograph. See you out there with camera in hand! Remember: Priorities; aperture priority, shutter priority, or manual priority. Decide, select and shoot!

Happy photoing!

Email comments, questions or suggestions to bob@fillmoregazette.com

The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) urges all Californians to eliminate standing water around their homes and businesses to help reduce mosquito populations in an effort to prevent Zika and West Nile virus infections.

“As the rainy season comes to an end and temperatures rise, we will see increased mosquito activity,” said CDPH Director and State Public Health Officer Dr. Karen Smith. “Residents should dump out containers that hold standing water in and around their homes and businesses. Removing water will help reduce overall mosquito numbers and protect family members and neighbors from mosquito bites and mosquito-borne diseases.”

Mosquitoes breed in very small amounts of water. To help keep their numbers down, Californians should frequently check for, and eliminate, water-filled containers, clean and scrub bird baths and pet watering dishes, and dump water from dishes under potted plants. Residents are also urged to report unusual numbers of mosquitoes or day-biting mosquitoes to the local vector control agency.

With mosquito activity increasing, Californians should also protect themselves from mosquito bites at home and while traveling to areas where the Zika virus is present. To prevent bites, consistently use mosquito repellent when outside, wear long sleeves and pants, use air conditioning, and make sure window screens will keep mosquitoes out of the home.

“It is particularly important for pregnant women and couples planning to become pregnant to prevent mosquito bites because Zika virus can cause miscarriage, stillbirth, and severe birth defects if a pregnant woman becomes infected,” said Dr. Smith.

Zika virus is spread primarily through mosquito bites and can also be transmitted by both men and women during sex. Most people who are infected with Zika virus do not experience any symptoms but should take precautions to avoid sexual transmission, even if they never had symptoms. Zika symptoms include fever, rash, joint pain and red eyes.

All individuals, particularly women of childbearing age, should take steps to protect themselves against mosquito bites while traveling and when they return home. Sexually active people who travel to areas with Zika virus transmission should use condoms or other barriers to avoid getting or passing Zika virus during sex. There has been no local transmission of Zika in California to date, but the mosquitoes that can carry Zika virus live in many areas of California.

West Nile virus (WNV) is also transmitted to humans and animals by the bite of an infected mosquito. WNV can cause a deadly infection in humans, and the elderly are particularly susceptible. WNV symptoms may include fever, headache, body aches, nausea, vomiting, and sometimes swollen lymph glands or a skin rash on the chest, stomach, and back. More severe symptoms, and even death, can occur. The state’s first human infection of WNV this year was reported last month.

Visit the CDPH website for more information about mosquitoes, Zika and West Nile. Additional mosquito prevention information is available at www.cdc.gov.

Hear Dr. Vicki Kramer, chief of the CDPH Vector Borne Disease Section, talk about the importance of removing standing water to prevent mosquito bites.

www.cdph.ca.gov

Ventura County Sheriff's Department

On May 5th, 2017 at about 10:15 in the morning, Deputies from the Kern County Sheriff’s Office went in pursuit of a stolen vehicle in the area of Frazier Park traveling eastbound on Highway 138. The pursuit was discontinued due to the high speeds and erratic driving of the suspect. Officers from the California Highway Patrol located the stolen vehicle on San Francisquito Road and went in pursuit. Officers from the CHP pursued the vehicle into Santa Clarita where they lost sight of it in the area of westbound SR-126 at Wolcott.

A deputy from the Ventura County Sheriff ’s Office Fillmore Station was monitoring the pursuit on the radio and located the stolen vehicle on Timber Canyon Road at the S/R 126 intersection. Witnesses observed the suspects flee the vehicle into a nearby orchard. Officers from the Santa Paula Police Department arrived and assisted with the search for the outstanding suspects.

During the search, suspect Johnston located an unoccupied vehicle and stole it. He was chased briefly through the orchard and taken into custody by Ventura County Sheriff’s Deputies and Santa Paula Police Officers. Eskildsen was found hiding in the orchard by Sheriff ’s Deputies shortly after. Both suspects were booked at the Ventura County Jail on charges related to the theft of the vehicle.

Prepared by: Sergeant John Stubblefield